The Pan-African Intergovernmental Organization CAFRAD is organizing a high-level international conference on Monday, June 23, 2025, held online, under the central theme: “People at the Heart of Public Performance and Transformation.” At a time when African public administrations face multifaceted crises and accelerated digital, social, ecological, and political shifts, this event aims to be a strategic moment to rethink public leadership, governance models, and human resource management from a global, ethical, and inclusive perspective.

The main objective of this conference is to enable participants, upon returning to their professional responsibilities, to contribute to the transformation of public policies through a human-centered, systemic, and integrated approach. The focus will be on reconciling digital transition and advances in artificial intelligence with the demands of democracy, the rule of law, sustainable development, and African values, following a citizen-centered public service logic. This vision aligns fully with the Agenda 2063 of the African Union, which promotes integrated human development.

Through this initiative, CAFRAD aims to help shape a new generation of African public decision-makers—bold, visionary, and transformational—equipped with both technical and human skills. These leaders will be expected to promote more agile, open, and people-centered administrations that respond to the real needs of their populations. The conference program will revolve around key themes such as:

• Electronic and human career management in the context of the 4.0 and 5.0 industrial revolutions
• Co-production of public services with citizens
• Responsible leadership and management
• Digital democracy
• Inclusive and sustainable governance in times of crisis

Featured Speakers:

• Coffi Dieudonné Assouvi, Director General of CAFRAD, will present his strategic vision on the role of soft skills in renewing Africa’s public service.
• Guido Bertucci, former United Nations expert, will provide a video intervention addressing the challenges of public governance in the era of agility and innovation.
• Saleem Zoughbi, international expert on digital transformation, will contribute insights on inclusive digitalization policies and smart cities.
• Binta Sylla, Head of the Training Department at INFP Guinea, will moderate the conference and summarize the discussions.

The conference is open to a broad audience of ministers, senior officials, diplomats, heads of public administration schools, representatives of continental and international institutions, academics, and public governance experts. It will be held online from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (Morocco time). Participation is free upon registration, and a certificate of participation will be issued for a symbolic fee of $50.

By placing human beings at the center of public transformation, this major CAFRAD event offers a unique opportunity to rethink African administrations as drivers of sustainable development, democratic innovation, and social justice. It will allow Africa’s public sector elite to adopt strategic and operational next-generation governance tools, tailored to the contemporary challenges of the continent and the world.